Urban Isolation

Death In City Goes Unnoticed, And Another Follows

July 11, 1993

Tales of urban tragedy are so common people must harden themselves in order to function. On the city sidewalk, we go past the bum passed out in the doorway. We try to distance ourselves from the newspaper and television reports of human misery that come from every quarter.

But no matter how hardened one's self-defense mechanisms may be, the story from Detroit is heart-rending. A woman caring for her 18-month-old grandchild dies, apparently of a heart attack. She has no phone in her apartment. Even though family members live in the city, no one drops by. No neighbors inquire. And by the time maintenance workers detect a stench coming from the apartment, the grandchild has starved to death.

Even in a large city, people can be alone, isolated. Where were this child's parents? The father is in jail; the mother is a drug addict. Why did no one hear the girl cry or, hearing her, pay no attention? Social safety nets? If they exist, this story is proof of a large hole. The tragedy, in addition to the child's death, is that anyone's life could be so disconnected from family, friends and community.